A Flying Embrace
by megapig9001
Summary: Takes place after Claude and Flayn's A-Support and the Golden Deer Route. A year after the war has ended, Claude returns to Garreg Mach Monastery and reunites with Flayn. He's ready to tell her everything... and not just his identity. Claude X Flayn


_Schoom!_ A wyvern swooped around the skies of Garreg Mach Monastery; despite the reconstruction that had been going on since before the war even ended, there was still a giant hole in the roof. The rider took the opportunity and directed his wyvern downwards. The two of them landed on the floor below. The rider affectionately petted his wyvern and hopped off. He was a rugged man aged quite a bit from both the effects of war and the fatigue of politics. Despite this, from his face alone, anyone could see how much life he still had inside him.

"_Sigh. _You know, we have stables," came the voice of a girl. "Don't you think it's a little improper to land your animal in a cathedral?" the girl asked. The rider turned his head and smiled.

"Well, I figured I could get here faster this way," he replied. The girl he faced did not seem aged by war at all; if anything, she looked younger than when the war seemed more relaxed than she was before, as if all her troubles had dissipated. She took a close look at the rider's face.

"Hm… is that a real smile Claude?" the girl asked, "I thought you only maintained a joyful appearance so you may benefit of your allies?" The rider chuckled a bit.

"I guess that just shows how happy I am to see you again Flayn," Claude replied. The girl crossed her arms.

"Do you think I am just going to welcome you back like nothing happened?" Flayn asked, a frown seemingly forming on her face. This time Claude didn't just chuckle, he laughed, and hard.

"You know Flayn, it isn't a good idea to try to hide your emotions from the man who hid his for five years," Claude said, "you are happy to see me, right?"he asked. Flayn stared at Claude.

"N...No," she looked down to the ground, "...Okay! Yes! I'm so glad you're here!" Flayn smiled a smile so vibrant that the entire room seemed to grow warmer from newfound energy. She ran over to Claude and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Sorry for my little charade, I was trying a strategy I learned from a book about modern romance techniques called 'hard-to-get'," Flayn explained. Claude rose his eye.

"Ah, so Seteth isn't censoring the library anymore," Claude said. Flayn chuckled.

"The professor was able to explain to him that not every book has to be religious or historical to be worthwhile," Flayn said. She let go of her tight squeeze on Claude.

"Oh! You must want to see the professor too! I'm sure they'll be happy to see you," Claude shook his head.

"As much as I would like to see Teach… I think I'll wait till after," Claude said. Flayn crooked her head to the side.

"Till after what?" she asked.

"Till after we're done talking of course!" Claude said; he reached out his hand. "Come with me, there's a lot we have to talk about." Flayn stared at his extended hand. After dispelling a brief blush from her cheeks, she excitedly grabbed his hand. She had gone one year without him, and now she was determined to not let go.

...

"Wait… the king of Almyra!? That's unbelievable!"  
"Unbelievable? You're the literal saint."

Both king and saint laughed in tandem; the light around them seemed to glow brighter as they laughed, as if it were attracted to the mood the pair set. Flayn kept her smile and turned to Claude.

"I'm glad we have finally reached a time where we can disclose are identities to each other… though if I may ask, why are we flying in the sky?" she asked. Sure enough, they were both sitting on a majestic wyvern, and with a beautiful sunset in the background. Claude chuckled.

"I know you feel fine about telling me who you really are… but I'm pretty sure your father wouldn't approve. If he found out what we've told each other, I don't think any kingdom would protect me from his wrath." Claude answered. Flayn stared at his face. Although Claude's ability to hide his emotions was enough to fool entire countries, it was not enough to fool the people close to him.

"Claude, I know you're hiding something." Flayn said. She puffed her cheeks to express her annoyance… Claude tried not to laugh.

"Yeah… guilty as charged." he replied. Claude closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths: _Alright, it's now or never._

"Flayn… do you remember that time we talked about our identities right before the war ended?" Claude asked. Flayn perked her head up.

"Of course! You were able to deduce that Seteth was actually my father, we theorized ways to extract reaction from him, and then we talked about…" _bam!_ She figured it out. Flayn looked up to Claude, down to the sky, back to Claude, to the sky again… and finally, rested her eyes at Claude. "Y...You mean…"

"'It's something that should be done properly, when the right time comes.' Well… I think it's the right time." Claude said, "I'm sorry Flayn… you have no idea how much I wanted to see you again: your bright smile, your glistening eyes, and your heart: an endless supply of warmth and happiness. But… there was no way I could convince your father to allow you to accompany me to Almyra… and something tells me there's no way I could convince him now. So, I've decided to try and bypass that step. Flayn, I want to..."

"Claude…"  
"To…"

"Claude!"  
"To… to be with you… for the rest of my life."

"CLAUDE!" With a waterfall of tears flowing down her eyes, Flayn jumped at Claude, pushing them both off the Wyvern. Despite the setting of the sun, the light continued to encircle the two. Claude, though surprised by the sudden fall, simply shrugged and smiled. He held Flayn close to his heart.

"I... I missed you so much! I'll… I'll stay by you for all of your eternity!" Flayn yelled out. Her hair flowed with the wind, each lock spiraling around, gravitating towards her partner. Flayn started laughing.

"I never thought I would find love by trying to learn someone's secrets," Flayn said.

"Love is strange… yet beautiful," Claude responded, "I guess there are no set rules or boundaries to it… oh uh, Flayn? We're still falling."

"Wha… Ah!" A torrent of wind launched from Flayn's hands, slowing the fall of the soulmates to a halt. The two lay down on the ground, connected by each other's warm embrace. The sun had set, with the moon taking its place. It was the end of a very long day, and pretty soon, it would be the dawn of a new one.

_I love you… Claude._

_I love you too... Cethleann._


End file.
